Category Archives: review copy

He discovered her during a Montana blizzard, freezing cold, impossibly vulnerable, a little boy by her side. Undercover DEA Agent Beck “Trigger” Cooke is astonished to recognize Ashley Swan—award-winning actress, famous beauty—and missing for over a year. To keep her and the child hidden from a sadistic madman, he secrets the pair away to his isolated home.

No longer a prisoner, and protected at Hope Ranch, Ashley recovers and learns the tall, tempting federal agent may have a dark past, but it hasn’t destroyed his sense of honor.

As they shed past roles and find common ground, Ashley and Trigger can’t help but fall slowly, carefully, in love. But danger still lurks outside the boundaries of Hope Ranch, for until her crazed captor is brought to justice, and Trigger’s undercover past is laid to rest, none of them will ever be truly safe…

My thoughts:

If you’ve read the blog for a while, you know of my love of Jennifer Ryan books. I adored the first book in this series (Montana Heat: Protected by Love) and I wasn’t disappointed in this new book at all.

Trigger is disillusioned, hurt and trying to find his way back toward normal. He has hidden away in a cabin in Montana with no close neighbors. Ashley has run away, with a young child, from a psychopath that has kept her hostage for a year. Beck doesn’t know what to do when he finds the woman and child on his property, but his instinct is to protect them at all costs.

Beck and Ashley need each other. They have both been hurt and beaten down by life. Ashley has more to recover from, but Beck is maybe more emotionally damaged in the beginning. He doesn’t know who he is anymore. It is through helping Ashley regain herself, that Beck does the same.

I loved how the couple relied on each other to heal, while making sure that they weren’t being dependent upon each other to a point it was unhealthy. Ashley is a very strong character. She isn’t going to be a victim again and sets about to make sure that she and the child she escaped with are safe. Beck has things from his past that aren’t settled and he works to make sure the threat against him can’t harm Ashley.

Montana Heat: Escape to You is another Jennifer Ryan book that I couldn’t put down. I can’t wait for the next two books in the series.

Pilot Miranda Marlowe is too sick to fly her plane, and she must face the truth: she’s pregnant! She knows well enough that her boss, Cleve Finch, is still grieving for his late wife, so to think, she heads to her sister’s new inheritance, Villa Rosa.

Despite the spiders and dust, the Mediterranean palazzo is as gorgeous as ever. Until Cleve turns up with a dramatic offer: a convenient marriage as soon as it can be arranged! It may be the sensible answer…but is it enough for Miranda?

My thoughts:

I liked this book and didn’t like this book. I feel conflicted. I’m not a huge fan of the hero having a dead wife and acting like he is grieving to the outside world when in fact he wasn’t happy in the marriage and not destroyed by her death. I did like Miranda – she’s tough, knows what she wants and isn’t going to settle for second place. I probably would have liked the story better if Cleve had told Miranda the truth about his relationship with his late wife and about his feelings earlier in the book.

A horse race in trousers on Rotten Row. Visiting a gaming hall in a dress that would make her mother faint. Sneaking an invitation to a masquerade ball attended by only the wickedest, most debauched members of society…

None of these things are scaring off bookish but strong-willed Amelia Bishop’s stuffy, egotistical fiancé.

The only thing left is to entice childhood friend Nicholas Wakefield into a truly engagement-ending scandal. The Wakefields are the height of propriety, and Nicholas’s parents have made it clear a wife from the neighboring Bishop family would be unacceptable…

But Nicholas would give up his family and his fortune if Amelia would ever see him as more than just a childhood friend. He’ll go along with her scheme, even if it means ruining them both, because he’s got a plan that will change her mind about him being merely the boy next door.

My Thoughts:

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SCANDALOUS is a funny, sweet and romantic story. I loved the characters. Amelia is walking the line between being a good daughter/sister and going after what she really wants. Nicholas knows exactly what he wants, but he has to get a backbone and go after her. The secondary characters really made the book fantastic. Amelia’s sister, Julia, and Jasper, best friend to Nicholas add so much to the book and without them I don’t believe that the book would have been as great of a read. I hope that the next book from Kimberly Bell features Julia. I really want her to get a happily ever after.

When Tate Harper’s sister disappears, the globe-trotting TV host is suddenly the caregiver for her infant niece. She has to find her sister ASAP! Enter single father and sexy CEO Linc Ballantyne, her sister’s ex. He’s a family man to the core, and he’ll help Tate—if she agrees to be his temporary live-in nanny.

Soon she’s juggling a baby, a toddler and a growing attraction to the billionaire Ballantyne. But when it’s time to go back to her real life, will she pack her bags or stay and find out what being a family really means?

My Thoughts:

I had a really hard time liking the characters in this book at the beginning. Linc, who is the ultimate single dad, is cold and doesn’t seem to care at all that Tate is in trouble. Even though Ellie, Tate’s niece, is his son’s half-sister, Linc seems perfectly fine to let them go and wash his hands of them completely.

Tate is freaking out in every way. She never intended to be a mother or even to stay in the same place for more than a few months. Immediately after Ellie is left with her Tate sets about to find a way to get rid of her. Tate is determined to track down Ellie’s mother or to find another suitable solution that doesn’t include Tate retaining custody.

These characters were unlikable to me in the beginning of the book because they are deeply flawed and so well written. I came to care about what happened to Linc, Tate, and the children. It’s always a sign of a good book (in my opinion) if the author can make me love the characters as much as the characters love each other. THE CEO’S NANNY AFFAIR did just that. By the end of the book, I had tears in my eyes and a satisfied smile on my face.

With her brother Thomas injured on the battlefront in the Colonies, orphaned Cecilia Harcourt has two unbearable choices: move in with a maiden aunt or marry a scheming cousin. Instead, she chooses option three and travels across the Atlantic, determined to nurse her brother back to health. But after a week of searching, she finds not her brother but his best friend, the handsome officer Edward Rokesby. He’s unconscious and in desperate need of her care, and Cecilia vows that she will save this soldier’s life, even if staying by his side means telling one little lie…

I told everyone I was your wife

When Edward comes to, he’s more than a little confused. The blow to his head knocked out three months of his memory, but surely he would recall getting married. He knows who Cecilia Harcourt is—even if he does not recall her face—and with everyone calling her his wife, he decides it must be true, even though he’d always assumed he’d marry his neighbor back in England.

If only it were true…

Cecilia risks her entire future by giving herself—completely—to the man she loves. But when the truth comes out, Edward may have a few surprises of his own for the new Mrs. Rokesby.

My Thoughts:

I am a huge Julia Quinn fan. I’ve read all her books (some several times) and they never disappoint. THE GIRL WITH THE MAKE-BELIEVE HUSBAND is sexy and utterly romantic. Cecilia is a woman on a mission and Edward is the only one able to help her – after he regains consciousness. I loved that Cecilia and Edward had communicated before her trip to America by using post-scripts on her brother’s letters. Their romance is unconventional. They were in love before they ever met. There isn’t anything really major happening in this book – action wise – it is purely relationship driven.

Miss Jane Wilkinson couldn’t be more delighted when her two best friends marry, creating a much-desired vacancy at the Spinster House. For the first time in her twenty-eight years, Jane can be free of her annoying older brother and enjoy complete solitude—with the exception of the Spinster House cat, Poppy. If only Jane’s unruly thoughts didn’t keep drifting to handsome Alex, Earl of Evans, in the most
un-spinster like ways…

Though jilted once, Alex has always intended to marry and raise a family. Now that his two closest friends have tied the knot, he is more determined than ever to find a wife. If only it wasn’t the intriguing Miss Jane Wilkinson that his heart—as well as the rest of him—desired. Not only does she appear uninterested in marriage, it’s clear she’s the managing sort. And yet, despite Alex’s fiercely independent spirit, the idea of being managed by her is quite appealing. Now if he can only convince her to give up her beloved Spinster House in favor of a far more pleasurable home—in his arms…

My Thoughts:

Alex, Earl of Evans, is such a great hero. He is funny, sweet and sexy. I really liked his relationship with his family (even though he avoids them several times). You can tell that even though they drive him completely crazy, he loves them more than anything.

It took a bit for Jane to grow on me. Her fierce independence is almost overdone. Yes, she has finally become the “Spinster House spinster”, but it is more than obvious that she also wants love. However, when that love is standing right in front of her, she tries to ignore it.

Alex and Jane together are great. They bring out the best in each other. WHEN TO ENGAGE AN EARL is sweet and romantic.

As the Dating Guy on L.A.’s top morning show, I give the single guy’s perspective on dating, love, and sex—and I give great advice. Everyone’s hooking up…well, except for me. Sure, I can get any woman I want, but I’ve got a “no relationship” clause in my contract and the only woman I want has “relationship” written all over her. Probably stamped on her ass, too. And wouldn’t I like to confirm that.

Unfortunately, she wants nothing to do with me. At all. Something about the next Ice Age might have even come up in her rebuttal. Adorable. Because she’s determined to ignore what one simple kiss proved: she wants me as badly as I want her.

Everything in me is screaming to go after her, but I’ve got a secret that I’m fairly certain will end up with her roasting my nuts over an open fire. So, job on the line? Check. Nuts on the line? Check. Can’t get her out of my head? Nail…meet coffin. But what a way to go…

My Thoughts:

TALK BRITISH TO ME is one sexy, sweet and romantic read. I loved Mateo and Teague. Teague is a hopeless romantic. She wants nothing than to find a guy and settle into relationship bliss. Mateo is literally “the Dating Guy” and has no desire to be a one woman man. Except…he can’t get Teague out of his mind. The last thing he wants is to date other women. I loved the way their relationship evolves – they both know that it will never work, but they can’t stay away from each other.

I also really enjoyed how much these characters talked to each other. A lot of the time characters in romance novels don’t have meaningful conversations about the past and hopes for the future. Mateo and Teague have many moving conversations. They also help each other achieve dreams. They are perfect for each other.

Don’t trust lust at first sight. One woman chooses reality over fantasy in this friends-to-lovers romance, a steamy standalone by “an author to keep your eye on” (Katee Robert).Jacqueline: As an adult woman–and the vice president of a marketing firm–I shouldn’t be waiting by my office window to ogle the mystery man who jogs by every morning at 11:45. Sure, he’s a gorgeous, perfect specimen of the human race, but I can’t bring myself to hit on a total stranger. However, my best friend-slash-colleague Vince Carson thinks I should do more than talk to the guy. In fact, he’s borderline obsessive about “getting me laid.” (His words.) But the more time we spend together, the more it’s clear: The one I’m falling for is Vince.Vince: Jackie Butler’s got it bad for some pompous, over-pumped A-hole who struts his stuff past her window. That doesn’t bother me. I know she deserves nice things. What does bother me is that she friend-zoned me big-time last year, so I can’t ask her out myself. But what if I set her up with Mr. Steroids? Then, when he breaks her heart, I can swoop in and save her like the nice guy I am. Everything’s going according to plan . . . until we share a ridiculously epic kiss. And suddenly anything is possible.

My Thoughts:

First, this book has a great cover. Even if I wasn’t a fan of the author, I would pick up this book because of the appealing cover. Plus, the cover totally fits the plot of the book in a very sly way.

Eye Candy is sort of a twist on the friends-to-lovers trope. Although Vince has started developing lustful thoughts toward his best friend, Jackie, he has a plan to help her land her “dream man.” There were a couple of times that Vince irritated me. I felt that he was kind of playing a game with Jackie’s feelings. Jackie is infatuated with a man she has never spoken to but watches run by her office window every morning. She doesn’t really want to meet him because the mystery and excitement will be over, but Vince convinces her that she has to get herself out there and “running man” is the perfect guy. Jackie is just as bad at times when it comes to playing games. She knows that she has feelings for Vince, but continues to pursue her runner. It was a bit frustrating to read these two go back and forth.

All Charlotte wanted was to avoid scandal. Instead, she was caught in the arms of a mysterious, handsome lord…and he’s not letting go.On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library.

Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan? Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall? Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville–the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.

But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit . . . and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.

Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?

My Thoughts:

DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL is a delightful, sweet and sexy romance. Charlotte and Piers are so perfect together. Charlotte is trying to avoid scandal and the trap she is sure her mother is going to set for an eligible bachelor. Instead of avoiding scandal she finds herself right in the middle of one. Piers has an ulterior motive for being at the Parkhurst ball and the scandal is only going to get in the way. However, Piers can’t help but be drawn to Charlotte.

The ending of this book is perfect. I won’t give anything away, but Piers does the perfect thing to romance Charlotte and ensure their happily ever after.

Biweekly marriage proposals from men who can’t see beyond her (admittedly breathtaking) looks are starting to get on Lady Clara Fairfax’s nerves. Desperate to be something more than ornamental, she escapes to her favorite charity. When a child is in trouble, she turns to tall, dark, and annoying barrister Oliver Radford.

Though he’s unexpectedly found himself in line to inherit a dukedom, Radford’s never been part of fashionable society, and the blonde beauty, though not entirely bereft of brains, isn’t part of his plans. But Clara overwhelms even his infallible logic, and when wedlock looms, all he can do is try not to lose his head over her . . .

It’s an inconvenient marriage by ordinary standards, but these two are far from ordinary. Can the ton’s most adored heiress and London’s most difficult bachelor fall victim to their own unruly desires?

My Thoughts:

I’m not sure if I could love the hero of this story more. He’s nerdy, awkward, and brilliant. The way he sees the things around him is unique. His weakness for Clara is adorable.

Clara is pretty fantastic too. I loved that she wasn’t content to just be a “pretty girl” and went out to find her own adventure. She doesn’t take no for an answer and has the unique ability to completely confound Radford.

These two shouldn’t work together, but they do. Their chemistry is unmistakable and the love they share evident way before they realize it themselves.

DUKES PREFER BLONDES is a romantic, funny and delightful historical romance that shouldn’t be missed.